Alturas Transmission Line

Aspen prepared a comprehensive EIR/S under both CEQA and NEPA; the CPUC and BLM are the CEQA and NEPA Lead Agencies, respectively. Key Responsible and Cooperating Agencies include the California Department of Fish and Game, the USDA Forest Service (Modoc and Toiyabe National Forests), and Sierra Army Depot. This EIR/S evaluated a 345-kV transmission line proposed by Sierra Pacific Power Company (SPPCo). The proposed 165-mile transmission line would connect SPPCo’s electric power distribution system in Nevada to the Bonneville Power Administration in the Pacific Northwest. It would feature the construction of two new substations in northeastern California and the expansion of an existing substation in Reno, Nevada.

The project involved coordination with the CPUC and BLM, and many Federal and State resource agencies. Aspen also managed 10 subcontractors in the preparation of the EIR/S. Key issues included biological and archaeological resources, human health effects of electric and magnetic fields, visual resources and aesthetics, land use, geology, and hydrology. Collected resource and land use data were entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS) for the project’s 660-foot wide study corridor. The GIS information was then utilized to optimize the routing of the transmission line by minimizing the impacts to environmental resources. An extensive analysis of the need for the transmission line was also conducted.

The EIR/S evaluated 20 alternatives to the proposed project, after considering over 50 alternatives in an initial screening process. The alternatives included several transmission system alternatives through Nevada, many variations on the proposed route (totaling over 90 miles), alternative technologies (generation and demand side measures), undergrounding, and the “No Project Alternative.”

This EIR/S evaluated a 345,000-volt (345 kV) transmission line proposed by Sierra Pacific Power Company (SPPCo). The proposed 165-mile transmission line would connect SPPCo’s electric power distribution system in Nevada to the Bonneville Power Administration in the Pacific Northwest. It would feature the construction of two new substations in northeastern California and the expansion of an existing substation in Reno, Nevada.

The Final EIR/S was released in November 1995, and consisted of 2,400 pages and technical appendices covering biological and visual resources, noise, air quality, and a detailed set of annotated base maps covering the proposed transmission line’s 660-foot wide study corridor and alternative route alignments.